Domaine Les Mille Vignes - Fitou L'Idyllique 2019

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

In 2000, Valérie Guérin took over the estate built up over the years by her father Jacques, a professor of oenology. Thirteen parcels of very old vines are meticulously cultivated, yields are low, vinification is very natural, and there is no barrel ageing. The wines are harmonious, full of flavor and freshness, and seductively natural. The cuvées dennis-royal, made from 75-year-old carignan, and les-vendangeurs-de-la-violette are as fabulous as ever. The 2016 vintage will have to be waited for, as the extraction seems to be more advanced than usual.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

This cuvée features the rare lledoner pelut (80%), a cousin of grenache, accompanied by carignan and mourvèdre. The color is bright ruby with violet highlights. The elegant nose conjures up red fruits (cherry and redcurrant) enhanced by a hint of spice. The palate is round, velvety and spicy (white pepper), supported by straightforward tannins and a fine freshness that stretches the finish.

About the domain :

The thousand vines of the early days have been transformed by purchases and plantings into an 11-hectare estate in the Fitou maritime region. Created in 1979 by Jacques Guérin, a former professor of viticulture at the Lycée d'Orange, the estate has been run by his daughter Valérie since 2000.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

L'Idyllique is already delicious. A full-bodied, fine, racy wine with notes of garrigue and black fruit, and a fine patina of tannins.

About the domain :

For two decades, Valérie Guérin, recently joined by her sister Agnès, has passionately defended this small estate in the La Palme sector (in the maritime part of the Fitou appellation). Massal selections, extremely low yields of less than 20 hl/ha (which explains the high prices) and long vatting periods are her watchwords. The result is an ideal combination of ripeness and freshness in the bottle. Multiple passages through the vineyard plots give rise to a table rosé, three reds and four vins de liqueur. These characterful cuvées are uniquely concentrated, and while they may seem massive when young, they become wonderfully refined with age.